Chief Minister Raman Singh who embarked on the third day of the second phase of the 6000 kms, state-wide Vikas Yatra from Bemetara district headquarters said that bonus amounting to Rs 1,900 crore is currently being distributed to farmers in the entire state for the paddy purchased from them by the Government.
‘In Dhamdha Development Block alone , bonus worth Rs 31 crore is being distributed to the farmers,’ he said while receiving a rousing welcome from the villegers who had arrived to meet him in large numbers.
Between Bemetara and Dhamdha, thousands of villagers gathered on the way to welcome Singh as he passed through Devarbija, Saja and other cluster of villages on the way.
While at Dhamdha, the Chief Minister while holding his first public meeting for the day gifted away development works to the people worth Rs 125.51 crore in the presence of Water Resources Minister and In-charge for Durg District Ramvichar Netam, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Hemchand Yadav and MP Saroj Pandey.
Singh while addressing a massive gathering at Dhamdha said that the Government had formulated welfare policies for all sections of the society and had implemented them.
He reiterated his pledge to continue with the scheme of offering rice at Rs one and two per kg for the poor of the State and never close it down.
Chhattisgarh is the first State which had provided legal status to ‘Right to Food’ . ‘We are in the process of expanding the scheme. Earlier there were only 32 lakh families who were receiving 35 kgs of rice at Rs one and two per kg. A decision had now been taken to provide the same to 42 lakh families now’.
Singh said that the work of preparing ration cards for the distribution of rice at cheap rates to the poor had already commenced.
‘The State government has also taken care of the labourers working in the unorganised sector by formulating many welfare policies for them.The labourers had been receiving sewing machines, tools and bicycles besides they had also been receiving skill development training’, the Chief Minister added.